Assault rifle vs. car

This is a discussion on Assault rifle vs. car within the Defensive Rifles & Shotgun Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; This is a hypothetical that requires intuition regarding automobiles and bullet penetration. Please don't consider the driver, I'm only really concerned about the car. The ...

Assault rifle vs. car

This is a hypothetical that requires intuition regarding automobiles and bullet penetration. Please don't consider the driver, I'm only really concerned about the car. The goal is to maximize the likelihood that the car will eventually stop. Sooner is better than later, but probability most important.

Suppose you only had enough time to empty one magazine into the broadside of a car (for simplicity, say, a Ford Escape), which weapon would you prefer? If the vehicle is moving, and about 50 m away, the shots cannot be as precise as we'd like. Recoil is balanced against shot-placement, obviously. The ammunition type can be whatever 'standard' ammo you'd prefer.

Statistically, dementia is one of the greatest defeatable threats to my loved ones. The solution is to fund charities that hunt for a cure. This will also reduces the total amount of my family that has to go through it. I'm basically racing against odds.

The M4, because I am the most proficient with it, and because hitting a moving target - even at the relatively close range of 50m - isn't the easiest thing in the world. The gun I'm best with, and the most chances to hit something important, equals M4 for me.

A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle.

If I can leave weapon familiarity out of the equation, I'd chose the SCAR for the 762x51 downrange effectiveness. At 50 yards the 5.56 has just a hair more velocity than the 7.62, but only about a third of the mass - thus the 7.62x51 has more than double the available energy and destructive power at that range. Your problem statement is about stopping a moving car, and I want as much punch available to take out wheels or underhood equipment as possible.

But if familiarity with the gun is important, then the choice is between the M4 or Beowulf (same basic platform) - and I'd pick the M4 and 30 rounds, hands down.

Disabling a moving car with the small arms available to civilians would be a very dicey thing. The 7.62 NATO round for sure in quantities of 20 rounds. AP would be nice. There just wouldn't be enough .223 on tap to suit me and even the mention of the 5.7X28 for such a task is only good for a laugh. I don't know enough about the .50 Beowulf but it wouldn't likely be any more controllable than the FN in 7.62X51, probably wouldn't do any more damage, and holds fewest rounds.

The fastest way to stop a car using a firearm, is to take out the driver.

Absent that, a car can drive for quite a while even when damaged. Shoot out the tires - you can still drive on the rims. Puncture the radiator - it will take time for the engine to overheat. Destroy the alternator - the engine will run off the battery for a while. Even breaking the engine block will not immediately stop the car necessarily.

If you get lucky and hit the computer that controls the engine, you might get a quick stop.

If I can leave weapon familiarity out of the equation, I'd chose the SCAR for the 762x51 downrange effectiveness. At 50 yards the 5.56 has just a hair more velocity than the 7.62, but only about a third of the mass - thus the 7.62x51 has more than double the available energy and destructive power at that range. Your problem statement is about stopping a moving car, and I want as much punch available to take out wheels or underhood equipment as possible.
But if familiarity with the gun is important, then the choice is between the M4 or Beowulf (same basic platform) - and I'd pick the M4 and 30 rounds, hands down.

I'd run with what Smitty said..the AR platform is a second option
Just a question as to why you didn't include the AK platform...
For people who haven't seen it, the video "Deadly Weapons" made in 1985 in a good source of real info, and entertainment for those impossible scenes that Hollywood conjures up

I'm going to venture to guess that taking out a car with a single mag of any of the above might be possible but you will fail more likely than not. Any car will stop eventually. Broadside the possibility of making decisive damaging hits on the engine block, cooling, system, or what have you are slim. My bet would be on one of the steering tires. One front flat would slow the vehicle and make it harder to control.

Being a mechanic, I know where to aim to get the desired results on most vehicles. 7.62 or 5.56x45 (preferably steel core), either will work for me, providing I am in a position to make the the adequate follow up shots. Semis (class 7 & 8) oddly enough, are easier to stop than cars.

That being said, broadside at a moving vehicle, your target windows diminish rapidly.

Grasseater // Grass~eat~er noun, often attributive \ˈgras-ē-tər\
A person who is incapable of independent thought; a person who is herd animal-like in behavior; one who cannot distinguish between right and wrong; a foolish person.See also Sheep